Brazilian civil society organizations and social movements against Bolsonaro's statement on activism in Brazil

Source: O Instituto de Estudos Socioeconômicos – INESC 10-29-2018

By means of a letter the entities affirm that the speech of Bolsonaro confronts the Federal Constitution, which guarantees the rights of association and assembly.

"This is an unacceptable threat to our freedom of action. It will not only be the lives of millions of activist citizens and the work of 820,000 organizations that will be affected. It will be Brazilian democracy itself. And there is no democracy without rights.

Civil society organizations and social movements have a significant history of activism in defense of the most diverse rights in Brazil. According to a study carried out by IPEA (Institute of Applied Economic Research) in 2017, there were more than 820,000 NGOs in the country, working for better conditions in education, health, individual freedoms and equality in access to rights, access to information and freedom of expression, dignity at work, the right of children and adolescents, respect for the environment, among many other guidelines.

Brazil is also recognized internationally for its strong volunteer network, which articulates millions of citizens who dedicate part of their time to building a fairer, more egalitarian society in which the most needy people have access to fundamental basic rights, many times not guaranteed by the State. This work is also recognized as activism.